EXPERIENCED ST. LOUIS CHILD INJURY ATTORNEYS

It is the job of every parent or adult caring for a child to keep the child safe. Unfortunately, there are times when the careless actions of others put the children in our care in situations where they are harmed or injured. When this terrible type of incident takes place, questions may arise as to how this type of claim must be addressed.

Because of their vulnerability, children are often more easily injured due to unsafe conditions. Whether from a traffic accident, swimming pool accident, dog bite accident, fireworks accident, defective product or school bus accident that causes the injuries, attorneys Robert A. Strauss or John M. Cichelero can help guide you in handling these claims.

If your child has been injured as a result of the wrongful actions of another, contact either Attorney Robert A. Strauss or Attorney John M. Cichelero toll-free at (800) 991-8688 for a free and confidential consultation.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AND PEDESTRIAN INJURIES

Recent studies show that as many as 250,000 children are injured in traffic accidents annually. For more statistical information click here. Because of their smaller size, children can sustain more serious injuries than adults. Car accidents are a major cause of bodily injury to children. Missouri law has specific seating requirements for children riding as passengers in motor vehicles. For example, certain children must be in a child safety seat while other children, depending on their age, height and weight, may need to be in a booster seat. For more specific information on child seating requirements from the Missouri Department of Transportation click here. Notwithstanding our best efforts to ensure the safety of children riding in automobiles, statistics show that 7 out of 10 kids are at risk in a traffic crash.

In addition to passenger accidents, children do much of their daily travel on foot. Whether it is walking to school, the bus stop, or to play or visit with a neighborhood friend, they often travel on or near the roadways as pedestrians. Because kids are more often on foot, and because they are smaller in stature, extra care must be taken to guard them against child pedestrian/vehicle accidents. Sometimes drivers do not see the child and other times they are seen too late. However, just because a child is smaller or happens to be on or near a road, does not mean that a vehicle is not responsible in avoiding contact with them. Drivers can and should be held responsible for injuries to a child on foot if they are traveling too fast, driving recklessly, driving drunk or simply not watching the road that they are traveling on.

SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENTS

When a parent sees the school bus pull up to the corner near their home, they may have mixed feelings. On the one hand, a custodian has arrived to pick up and care for their child as they travel to and from their school. On the other hand, they are letting their child travel in a vehicle where there are no seatbelts and they do not know the driver in charge.

Common sense would tell us that there are two general, frequent causes of school bus accidents. One is the carelessness of the bus driver and the other is the carelessness of the driver of another vehicle involved. Either way, the concern is with the welfare of the children on board.

Whether an accident involves the conduct of the bus driver or the driver of another vehicle, there are a number of ways that a collision can take place. Sometimes it is the poor training of the bus driver, other times it is the condition of the bus itself. Are the tires new? When is the last time the brakes were maintenanced? Or did the other driver simply ignore the bus's stop sign which was clearly displayed?

SWIMMING POOL AND PREMISES ACCIDENTS

Swimming pools are a wonderful activity for children. But a parent's fear of a swimming pool is more stark. There are times in every parent's life when a child disappears for a short while. When there is a swimming pool near, this situation can range from terrifying to tragic. Drowning accidents can tragically take the life of a victim but they can also cause severe and permanent injuries, including brain injuries.

There are many things that can be done to prevent or reduce the risk of injury or the drowning of an innocent child. Why was there no fence around the pool or pond? Was there proper lighting? Why wasn't there a lifeguard on duty? Was the gate unlocked? Were all local codes and ordinances regarding the existence of the pool followed? If the proper precautions would have been taken this type of tragedy might have been prevented.

DEFECTIVE CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS

In a perfect world, all products that children come in contact with would be completely safe or safely engineered. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Sometimes it is a child that pays the ultimate price when a product is not designed properly or when a sufficient warning is not provided with the item.

One would think that children's toys are all sufficiently designed so that the children that play with them could not be harmed. Unfortunately, some toys are anything but safe. Instead, they are more like time bombs waiting to cause harm. The Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes toy recalls on their website. They also have tips for buying toys to reduce the chance of injury to a child. Click here for that information.

Sometimes the products at issue are not toys at all. Defects in products like a car seat, baby crib, types of clothing, children's jewelry, common household blinds, etc. can cause serious injury to children. The list of products is long. These injuries may be the result of an improper design by a manufacturer. The Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes a special list of infant and children product recalls other than toys. For that information click here.

FIREWORK INJURIES

Everyone enjoys the safe use of fireworks before and after the Fourth of July. But sometimes, fireworks are used by young people in a dangerous manner. When this happens, children can be harmed and sometimes seriously.

Fireworks like bottle rockets, when used improperly, can cause severe injuries, including eye injuries. Every year a child sustains an eye injury, even to the extent of blindness, because of a bottle rocket gone awry. Other fireworks are simply too dangerous for children if when used as described.

DOG BITE INJURIES TO CHILDREN

Everyone can appreciate a well trained family dog that is good with people. Unfortunately, not all dogs have this type of training. Even worse, some dogs are not properly cared for and as a result, they end up with a dangerous disposition. With an animal like this, it may only be a matter of time before someone comes into the wrong yard or home and gets bit. These dangerous events may be on the rise as people are becoming increasingly attracted to aggressive dog breeds like the pit bull. What really makes these cases serious is the strength of this particular dog's jaw and its propensity to bite a child's neck or face.

INJURIES FROM BB GUNS AND SPORTS TOYS

Many children get BB guns at some point in their life. A BB gun used properly and with sufficient adult supervision can be a lot of fun for adolescents. However, when used inappropriately or without sufficient supervision, these guns can lead to serious injuries to kids. The most frequent injuries from BB gun misuse are eye injuries. BBs can cause blindness and other serious and permanent eye injuries that will impact a child's life forever.

The use of bows and arrows and other outdoor sports related toys can lead to serious injuries if used improperly or without adequate supervision. Sometimes the injury is related to a defect in the way the product is manufactured or designed.

NO FEE IF NO RECOVERY

If your child has been injured as the result of someone's negligent actions, contact attorney Robert A. Strauss or John M. Cichelero for a free consultation. Your claim will be handled on a No Fee if No Recovery basis. If you would like to discuss your claim with either Mr. Cichelero or Mr. Strauss, please email or call toll free at (800) 991-8688.

Both Mr. Cichelero and Mr. Strauss serve clients from the areas of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles, St. Peters, O'Fallon, Farmington, Troy, Fredericktown, Potosi, Owensville, Hillsboro, Silex, Festus, DeSoto, High Ridge, Pacific, Washington, Ironton, Arnold, Warren County, Jefferson County, Franklin County, St. Francois County, Washington County, Lincoln County and most other cities and counties within the State of Missouri.